Field hockey faces Bucknell and Penn State

The field hockey team is riding a wave of momentum after earning its first win of the season Sunday in a 4-0 decision against Bellarmine University, and hopes to crash down onto Bucknell University and Penn State this weekend.\nThe Hoosiers will face the Bucknell Bisons (6-5) Friday and then challenge No. 6 Penn State (8-2) Saturday. Both games will be played at Bigler Field in State College, Pa.\nIU faces tough adversaries this weekend, but coach Amy Robertson said she believes the team can come away successful. \n"It's definitely a challenge, but it might actually help us since the games are back-to-back," Robertson said. "We'll be playing different styles, and if we played the same style both days, they would wear us out a little more. Penn State is right up there with Michigan, and we will have a similar game plan but hope to strike more on offense when they are vulnerable to counter attacks."\nSince IU has already faced a top 10 team this season, the Hoosiers are prepared to compete with the Nittany Lions, senior captain Tania Hults said.\n"It helps to have experience behind us," Hults said. "We now know that our offense can pick up with the defense we used against Michigan. That way we can have a counterattack against Penn State."\nIU has not played two games in the same week -- let alone on back-to-back days -- yet this season. The team's leading scorer, junior forward Brooke Magers, considers this weekend a test for the team in fitness and strategy, but remains confident.\n"We've had a really hard week in terms of conditioning," Magers said. "But it's definitely paying off because we're not getting as tired as we used to in practice. Our first game, we'll be playing a lot more offense, and in the second, a lot more defense. Because we've had a win and our team is playing much better offense, we have a chance to take the games from two teams that aren't expecting us to win."\nAlthough she feels more time for preparation and rest would help, Robertson said she is satisfied with the cards she has been dealt.\n"I probably would want to play Penn State first," Robertson said. "But our best chance to compete will be with Bucknell, so at the same time, that may be a more important game for us. It certainly will be a physical and mental challenge to stay in the game for 70 minutes against Penn State without a full 24 hours of rest, but we can do it"